The Jazz Singer (1927) Pages: ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) Background Warner Bros.' and director Alan Crosland's The Jazz Singer (1927) is an historic milestone film and cinematic landmark. [Most people associate this film with the advent of sound pictures, although Don Juan (1926), a John Barrymore silent film, also had a synchronized musical score performed by the New York Philharmonic and sound effects using Vitaphone's system.] It should be made clear that this film was not the first sound film, nor the first 'talkie' film or the first movie musical. The wildly successful "photo-dramatic production" was based upon Samson Raphaelson's 1921 short story "The Day of Atonement" (also the basis for Raphaelson's popular 1926 Broadway play of the same name), and adapted for the screen by Alfred A. Cohn. In 1926, Warners' risky investment of a half million dollars with Western Electric in the Vitaphone sound system brought profits of $3.5 million at the box-office with this landmark talkie.

It was a huge success, responsible for transforming Warners into Hollywood's hottest film factory. The commercialization of sound-on-film, and the transformation of the industry from silent films to talkies became a reality with the success of this film. Although it was not the first Vitaphone (sound-on-disk) feature, it was the first feature-length Hollywood "talkie" film in which spoken dialogue was used as part of the dramatic action. It is, however, only part-talkie (25%) with sound-synchronized, vocal musical numbers and accompaniment. [The first "all-talking" (or all-dialogue) feature-length picture was Warners' experimental entry - the gangster film Lights of New York (1928).] There are only a few scenes, besides the songs, where dialogue is spoken synchronously. A musical score (composed of a potpourri of melodies including sources such as Tchaikovsky, traditional Hebrew music and popular ballads) and musical sound effects accompany the action and title/subtitle cards throughout the entire film. The characters are given individual musical themes.

Sam Warner, co-founder of the studio, died at the premature age of 40 - one day before the film's New York City world premiere on October 6, 1927. Jolson was given the lead after Eddie Cantor and George Jessel denied Warners' offer to play the title role. Audiences were wildly enthusiastic when America's favorite jazz singer and superstar Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson in 1886, not the first choice for the role, and played onstage by George Jessel) broke into song, ad-libbed extemporaneously with his mother at the piano, and proclaimed the famous line to introduce a musical number: Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet! [Jolson was actually promoting the title of one of his songs, You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet (written by Gus Kahn and Buddy de Sylva), that he had recorded in 1919.] In fact, Jolson's next part-talkie follow-up film, Warners' and director Lloyd Bacon's The Singing Fool (1928), was an even greater hit and a superior film.

This next film contained the first hit song from a talking movie, Jolson's Sonny Boy. A Jolson biopic from director Alfred E. Green was titled The Jolson Story (1946), starring Oscar-nominated Larry Parks as the wildly-popular entertainer (rather than Jolson, who also auditioned to play himself). Star Parks received the nomination, although Jolson did the actual singing for the part. And then there was a sequel, Jolson Sings Again (1949). Although the film was ruled ineligible in the Best Picture category (it was thought unfair for a sound film to compete with silents), Warner Bros.' production head Darryl F. Zanuck was presented with a special Oscar at the very first Academy Awards ceremony in May of 1929, "for producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry." The film had two nominations in two other categories: Best Writing Adaptation (Alfred Cohn), and Best Engineering Effects (Nugent Slaughter), but didn't win.

The film was remade twice: Warners' and director Michael Curtiz' The Jazz Singer (1952) with Danny Thomas (as Jerry Golding) and Peggy Lee (as Judy Lane), and director Richard Fleischer's The Jazz Singer (1980) with singer-songwriter Neil Diamond in the lead role as the cantor's son with legendary co-star Laurence Olivier as his father. The Story The opening title card: "In every living soul, a spirit cries for expression - - perhaps this plaintive, wailing song of Jazz is, after all, the misunderstood utterance of a prayer." The opening scene is described by another title card: The New York Ghetto, throbbing to that rhythm of music which is older than civilization. Immigrant life in the lower East Side of the New York Ghetto is seen on location around Hester and Orchard Streets.

Bearded Jewish Cantor Rabinowitz (Warner Oland) wishes his son to continue in the five-generation family tradition and become a cantor (a leader of chants and songs during Jewish religious services) at the Orchard Street synagogue: "Cantor Rabinowitz, chanter of hymns in the synagogue, stubbornly held to the ancient traditions of his race." But he cannot locate his young son: "Tonight Jakie is to sing Kol Nidre. He should be here!" His mother, Sara Rabinowitz (Eugenie Besserer): "God made her a Woman and Love made her a Mother," is more sympathetic: "Maybe our boy doesn't want to be a Cantor, Papa - " Cantor Rabinowitz can't believe that his boy would turn his back on family traditions: "What has he to say? For five generations a Rabinowitz has been a Cantor - - he must be one!" Young Jakie Rabinowitz (Bobby Gordon as a 13 year old boy) has forsaken the ways of his fathers to try out show business. This results in conflict between devotion to his family and his deep love for worldly jazz music.

Inside Muller's bar-cafe, young Jakie prefers singing popular songs of the day, and is introduced by the piano player: "Ragtime Jakie is with us - give him a break." In the first actual synchronized sound heard in the film (not by Al Jolson!, but by young Bobby Gordon), Jakie entertains the cafe audience by singing 'My Gal Sal.' From the beer-garden area of Muller's, "Moisha Yudleson (Otto Lederer), rigidly orthodox and a power in the affairs of the Ghetto" spots the young Jewish boy singing, and runs to tell Jakie's father. In the Rabinowitz home, Sara is told by her husband: "I have taught him all the hymns and prayers - - he knows them as well as I do." Sara understands where the boy's heart lies: "Yes Papa - he knows all the songs - he has them in his head - - but not in his heart." Jakie's father points to his watch: "He will start the fasting of Yom Kippur without supper." Yudleson brings the news: "In a saloon, who do you think I saw singing raggy time songs?

- your son Jakie!" His father is furious to find his son in the beer-garden performing 'Waiting for the Robert E. Lee,' rather than in the synagogue. He snatches the squirming boy from the stage to drag him home by the scruff of the neck. Jakie hugs and embraces his mother for protection from his threatening father: "I'll teach him better than to debase the voice God gave him!" Sarah tries to reason: "But Papa - our boy, he does not think like we do." Papa wishes to teach the boy a lesson: "First he will get a whipping!" Jakie's stern father prepares for the whipping by removing his belt, despite protestations from Sara. Jakie threatens: "If you whip me again, I'll run away - - and never come back!" Outside the door, Sara reacts horribly to the sounds of her beloved boy being brutally whipped in the bedroom. With one last embrace and kiss from his mother, Jakie carries through on his threat, rebelling against his father's wishes and running away from home.

Even though he has lost his son, Cantor Rabinowitz prepares for the evening's service: "It is time to prepare for the services, Mama." Mama is distraught: "Our boy has gone, and he is never coming back." At the synagogue on Yom Kippur, Rabinowitz tells another Jewish cantor: "My son was to stand at my side and sing tonight - but now I have no son." The Kol Nidre is sung in the synagogue, during which time Jakie sneaks back into his home and retrieves a picture of his loving mother. The scene shifts to "Years later - - and three thousand miles from home" to a popular San Francisco nightspot and showcase for amateur performers called Coffee Dan's. Approximately ten years later, Jakie has changed his name to Jack Robin (Al Jolson), an anglicized name that represents a rejection of his Jewish faith: Jakie Rabinowitz had become Jack Robin - - the Cantor's son, a jazz singer. But fame was still an uncaptured bubble - - ... Al Jolson.

Jack is invited to perform in the nightclub and is introduced to the crowd: "Jack Robin will sing 'Dirty Hands, Dirty Face.' They say he's good - we shall see." Jack tells his table companion: "Wish me luck, Pal - I'll certainly need it." The Jazz Singer | film by Crosland [1927] | Britannica.com film by Crosland [1927] The Jazz Singer, American musical film , released in 1927, that was the first feature-length movie with synchronized dialogue . It marked the ascendancy of “ talkies ” and the end of the silent-film era. Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer (1927). Culver Pictures On Yom Kippur , cantor Rabinowitz (played by Warner Oland) looks forward to when his 13-year-old son, Jakie (Robert Gordon), will succeed him at the synagogue. However, after discovering that Jakie is singing in a saloon, the cantor beats him, and Jakie runs away from home. As an adult ( Al Jolson ), Jakie becomes a jazz singer, performing under the name Jack Robin.

When his father falls ill before Yom Kippur, Jakie must choose between singing at the dress rehearsal of his new Broadway show or singing the Kol Nidre at the synagogue in his father’s place. Jakie finishes his number and rushes to the synagogue, where his father hears him singing the Kol Nidre and then dies, reconciled to Jakie. Al Jolson and Eugenie Besserer in The Jazz Singer (1927), directed by Alan … © Warner Brothers, Inc. Although widely credited with being the first talkie, the accolade is somewhat misleading. Other films had synchronized sound for music or sound effects prior to this film. The small studio Warner Brothers had bought a sound-on-disc system called Vitaphone and debuted the system in 1926 with Don Juan, a lavish costume drama featuring a score performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. However, The Jazz Singer, the second Vitaphone feature, was the first full feature film to have a sound track that included dialogue (though only the musical numbers and some select conversations amounting to one-fourth of the film were recorded for sound).

The first feature in which all the dialogue was recorded was another Warner Brothers Vitaphone film, Lights of New York (1928). Marquee advertising The Jazz Singer (1927) at a New York City theatre. © Bettmann/Corbis The Incredibles Comedians Eddie Cantor and George Jessel (who played the lead role in the 1925 play on which the movie is based) both turned down the film, leaving the historic role for Jolson. Studio executive Sam Warner, one of the founders of Warner Brothers and the creative force behind the film, died one day before the movie’s premiere, which was intentionally set for the day before Yom Kippur. One of Jolson’s first lines, “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet,” came to symbolize the arrival of the talking picture.

The film’s financial success established Warner Brothers as a major studio, and the studio won an honorary Academy Award for “producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry.” There have been many remakes of the story onscreen and onstage, Jolson’s performance in blackface has long been studied for what it says about stereotypes and the problems of assimilation often encountered by ethnic groups. Production notes and credits The Jazz Singer (1927) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of becoming a jazz singer.

Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 32 titles created 28 Feb 2012 a list of 41 titles created 21 Jan 2013 a list of 46 titles created 11 months ago a list of 24 titles created 9 months ago a list of 44 titles created 7 months ago Title: The Jazz Singer (1927) 6.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins. See more awards » Photos The Stoneman family finds its friendship with the Camerons affected by the Civil War, both fighting in opposite armies. The development of the war in their lives plays through to Lincoln's assassination and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan. Director: D.W. Griffith The life of a man and woman together in a large, impersonal metropolis through their hopes, struggles and downfalls.

Director: King Vidor The son of a Jewish Cantor must defy the traditions of his religious father in order to pursue his dream of being a popular singer. Director: Richard Fleischer Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I. Directors: William A. Wellman, Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast Stars: Clara Bow, Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, Richard Arlen Directors: Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, and 2 more credits » Stars: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry An allegorical tale about a man fighting the good and evil within him. Both sides are made flesh - one a sophisticated woman he is attracted to and the other his wife. Director: F.W. Murnau In documentary style, events in Petrograd are re-enacted from the end of the monarchy in February of 1917 to the end of the provisional government and the decrees of peace and of land in ... See full summary » Directors: Grigori Aleksandrov, Sergei M.

Eisenstein Stars: Boris Livanov, Nikolay Popov, Vasili Nikandrov After killing a man in self-defence, a young woman is blackmailed by a witness to the killing. Director: Alfred Hitchcock A group of bandits stage a brazen train hold-up, only to find a determined posse hot on their heels. Director: Edwin S. Porter A small-time criminal moves to a big city to seek bigger fortune. Director: Mervyn LeRoy The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout history. Director: D.W. Griffith Dressed in overalls and wearing black-face makeup, Jolson sings three of his hit songs. For the complete list, follow the soundtrack link. Director: Philip Roscoe Edit Storyline Cantor Rabinowitz is concerned and upset because his son Jakie shows so little interest in carrying on the family's traditions and heritage. For five generations, men in the family have been cantors in the synagogue, but Jakie is more interested in jazz and ragtime music. One day, they have such a bitter argument that Jakie leaves home for good.

After a few years on his own, now calling himself Jack Robin, he gets an important opportunity through the help of well-known stage performer Mary Dale. But Jakie finds that in order to balance his career, his relationship with Mary, and his memories of his family, he will be forced to make some difficult choices. Written by Snow Leopard MAMMY! (original print ad - all caps) See more » Genres: 6 October 1927 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia The movie's opening line and quote, "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothing yet" was voted as the #71 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100), and as #57 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007. See more » Goofs Mary recieves a telegram dated August 8, 1927. Later in the film, Jack is seen writing a letter to Mary, dating it August 7, 1927.

See more » Quotes Mary Dale : [Listening to Jakie cantoring at Yom Kippur services after the death of his father] A jazz singer...singing to his God! (United States) – See all my reviews There are so many stupid comments expressed in the reviews of this film that it boggles the mind. This film, good or bad, is not about race, racism, attitudes towards black Americans, nor is the character in the film a "minstrel." Holy cow, did anybody actually SEE THE MOVIE? Does anyone know who Al Jolson was and what he accomplished? what he stood for regarding black Americans? what blackface meant in 1920? Good Lord. Such myopic political correctness distorts history, reality, and finds fault where there is none. The Amsterdam News, the leading newspaper of Harlem in the 20's lauded Jolson's performance as one "every black man should be proud of." Attitudes, beliefs, values CHANGE OVER TIME...HELLOOOO!!! The fact that Jolson wore blackface says NOTHING about his, the audiences, the producers, actors, or, song writers atttituds toward race. How dumb have we become?

People under the age of five should NOT be allowed to post opinions on this forum. 154 of 184 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Talking Motion Pictures Talking Motion Pictures "The advent of American talking movies is beyond comparison the fastest and most amazing revolution the whole history of industrial revolutions." --Fortune Magazine, October, 1930 A Brief History of Talking Pictures Until the late 1920's, motion pictures were silent except for the musical accompaniment provided by theatre owners in the form of live orchestras. Up to this point, movies had enjoyed a wide degree of popularity, but they still remained a secondary form of entertainment, largely due to their lack of sound. As evidence of this fact, many silent films were originally used as "chasers" in the more popular vaudeville shows. All of this changed in 1926 when Warner Brothers, in conjunction with Western Electric, introduced a new sound-on-disc system. In this system, sound effects and music were recorded on a wax record that would later be synchronized with the film projector.

In order to exhibit this new technology, Warner Brothers released "Don Juan", the first motion picture to have a pre-recorded score and synchronized sound effects. Although "Don Juan" proved to be a box-office hit, many movie studios still refused to adapt to talking picture technology, believeing that "talkies" would never replace silent pictures. However, the premiere of "The Jazz Singer" in October of 1927 changed these opinions, and in doing so, changed the history of motion pictures forever. John Barrymore and Mary Astor in "Don Juan", 1926 "The Jazz Singer" "The Jazz Singer" triggered the talking-picture revolution. Based on Alfred Cohn's story "The Day of Atonement," and Samson Raphaelson's popular Broadway play of the same name, the film starred Al Jolson as a Jewish boy who attempts to become a Broadway star. Even though "The Jazz Singer" was not the first film to use sound, it proved to be the first one to use spoken dialogue as part of the dramatic action. The combination of Jolson, America's most popular singer, and the new medium of sound helped to produce a profit of $3.5 million, causing Warner Bros.

to begin its rule as one of Hollywood's top studios. When Warners Bros follow-up sound films, such as "The Lights of New York" also became box-office hits, the rest of Hollywood switched to sound with startling speed, hoping to adapt to the new technology. A year after its release, Hollywood recognized the importance of "The Jazz Singer" with regard to motion picture history by honoring the film with a special Academy Award. The Implications of Talking Motion Pictures While the introduction of sound greatly benefitted the motion picture industry, talking pictures proved to be disastrous for vaudeville . Vaudeville performances could not compete with the technology of the talkies and many of its actors were unable to adapt to the format of sound motion pictures. Talking films also hurt the careers of the many orchestra musicians who provided the live score to many of the original silent movies. The speech and voices of certain actors also proved to be a difficult hurdle for many studios to overcome. This problem particularly plagued foreign actors whose accents were thought to disrupt the American idiom. Sound also influenced the behavior of movie patrons. During the silent film era, it was considered acceptable to talk while the movies played.

Because people were allowed to voice their responses to the film, a common bond was forged among the audience when many patron expressed a shared reply. With talking pictures, however, audiences concentrated on hearing the movie, rather than those seated around them, leading many patrons to look down upon talking while the movie was playing. As Robert Sklar said in his book Movie Made America, "talking audiences for silent pictures became a silent audience for talking pictures" (53). Throughout the silent movie era, many conservative members of the American middle class campaigned for the censorship of many films. These campaings suffered an enormous blow due to the introduction of talking pictures for two reasons. one, it was now much harder to tamper with the film disks due to the new technology of talking pictures. Secondly, civil libertarians were now ready to debate whether talking pictures were protected by the First Amendment. Finally, because sound came from outside industries, it linked the motion picture industry to other businesses, setting up long term and lucretive partnerships. For example, for many of its films, Warner Bros. attained their Vitaphone sound system from Western Electric, a financial enterprise that greatly benefitted both companies.

Why We're Looking at Talking Movies The movies listed on the advertisement are some of the very first attempts by Fox Studios to incorporate sound into their films. Like many movie moguls of his time, William Fox was reluctant to embark on the switch from silent pictures to talkies, especially because of the great financial success silents had brought him. However, the box office success of his talking films convinced Fox that the switch to talkies could be quite lucrative. Following this revelation, Fox increased the production of sound pictures, and as a result, his studio became one of the most powerful in the film industry. Jazz Singer Movie - The First Talkie By Jennifer Rosenberg Updated November 22, 2015. When The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, was released as a feature-length movie on October 6, 1927, it was the first movie that included dialogue and music on the filmstrip itself. Adding Sounds to Film Before The Jazz Singer, there were silent films. Despite their name, these films were not silent for they were accompanied by music.

Often, these films were accompanied by a live orchestra in the theater and from as early as 1900, films were often synchronized with musical scores that were played on amplified record players. The technology advanced in the 1920s, when Bell Laboratories developed a way to allow an audio track to be placed on the film itself. This technology, called Vitaphone, was first used as a musical track in a film titled Don Juan in 1926. Although Don Juan had music and sound effects, there were no spoken words in the film. Actors Talking on Film When Sam Warner of the Warner Brothers planned The Jazz Singer, he anticipated that the film would use silent periods to tell the story and the Vitaphone technology would be used for the singing of music, just as the new technology had been used in Don Juan. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance However, during the filming of The Jazz Singer, superstar of the time Al Jolson ad-libbed dialogue in two different scenes and Warner liked the end result.

Thus, when The Jazz Singer was released on October 6, 1927 it became the first feature-length film (89 minutes long) to include dialogue on the filmstrip itself. The Jazz Singer made way for the future of "talkies," which is what movies with audio soundtracks were called. So What Did Al Jolson Actually Say? The first words Jolson recites are: “Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” Jolson spoke 60 words in one scene and 294 words in another. The rest of the film is silent, with words written on black, title cards just like in silent movies. The only sound (besides the few words by Jolson) are the songs. The Storyline of the Jazz Singer The Jazz Singer is a movie about Jakie Rabinowitz, the son of a Jewish cantor who wants to be a jazz singer but is pressured by his father to use his God-given voice to sing as a cantor. With five generations of Rabinowitz men as cantors, Jakie's father (played by Warner Oland) is adamant that Jakie has no choice in the matter. Jakie, however, has other plans.

After being caught singing "raggy time songs" at a beer garden, Cantor Rabinowitz gives Jakie a belt whipping. That's the last straw for Jakie; he runs away from home. After setting off on his own, adult Jakie (played by Al Jolson) works hard to become a success in the field of jazz. He meets a girl, Mary Dale (played by May McAvoy), and she helps him improve his act. As Jakie, now known as Jack Robin, becomes increasingly successful, he continues to crave the support and love of his family. His mother (played by Eugenie Besserer) supports him, but his father is disgusted that his son wants to be a jazz singer. The climax of the movie revolves around a dilemma. Jakie must choose between starring in a Broadway show or returning to his deathly ill father and singing Kol Nidre at the synagogue. Both occur on the very same night. As Jakie says in the film (on a title card), "It's a choice between giving up the biggest chance of my life -- and breaking my mother's heart." This dilemma resonated with audiences for the 1920s were full of such decisions.

With the older generation holding tight to tradition, the newer generation were rebelling, becoming flappers , listening to jazz , and dancing the Charleston . Ultimately, Jakie couldn't break his mother's heart and so he sang Kol Nidre that night. The Broadway show was cancelled. There is a happy ending though -- we see Jakie starring in his own show just a few months later. Blackface In the first of two scenes where Jakie is struggling with his choice, we see Al Jolson applying black makeup all over his face (except for near his lips) and then covering his hair with a wig. Although unacceptable today, the concept of blackface was popular at the time. The movie ends with Jolson again in blackface, singing "My Mammy." Famous First Famous First Virginia Dare 1587 --- 1st child born in the American colonies, on August 18th, on what is now Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Anne Bradstreet 1650 --- 1st published American woman writer. The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America Ann Franklin 1762 --- 1st woman to hold the title of newspaper editor, "The Newport Mercury" in Newport, RI.

James Cook 1773 --- 1st person to cross Antarctic Circle. John Jay 1789 --- 1st US Supreme Court chief justice. Frederick Muhlenberg 1789 --- 1st Speaker Of the US House Of Representatives. Edmund Randolph 1789 --- 1st US attorney general. George Washington 1789 --- 1st US President (only unanimously elected US president.) Martha Washington 1789 --- 1st US First Lady. Samuel Hopkins 1790 --- holder of US Patent #1. Thousands of patents were issued before his, but his was the first when the numbering started. He patented a process for making potash and pearl ashes. Henry Laurens - Charleston, South Carolina statesman 1792 --- 1st formal cremation in US. He left instructions in his will. Benjamin Stoddert 1798 --- 1st Secretary of the US Navy. Thomas Jefferson 1801 --- 1st US president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. Mary Kies 1809 --- 1st woman to be issued a US patent.

She was granted a patent for the rights to a technique for weaving straw with silk and thread to make bonnets. Edward Smith 1831 --- 1st indicted bank robber in the US. He was sentenced to five years hard labor on the rock pile at Sing Sing Prison. Mary Lyon 1837 --- founded 1st woman's college in US, Mt. Holyoke College. William Henry Harrison 1841 --- 1st US president to die in office. At 32 days, he also had the shortest term in office. Tim Hyer 1841 --- 1st recognized boxing (fisticuffs) champion. Elizabeth Blackwell 1849 --- 1st woman to receive medical degree in US. (from the Medical Institution of Geneva, N.Y.) Antoinette Brown Blackwell 1853 --- 1st American woman ordained a minister by a recognized denomination (Congregational.) Charles Blondin 1859 --- 1st person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

William Carney 1863 --- 1st black to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor (on July 18,1863 at Fort Wagner, S.C.) Mary Walker 1865 --- 1st (and only) woman to receive the US Medal of Honor. She was a Civil War surgeon. Her medal was rescinded in 1916, however, when the Army purged its files to cut down on what they thought were "unwarranted" issues. It wasn't re-instated until 1976. David Glasgow Farragut 1866 --- 1st Admiral in U.S. Navy. Lucy Hobbs Taylor 1867 --- 1st woman in the US to become a certified dentist. Ebenezer D. Bassett 1869 ---1st Black U.S. diplomat, minister-resident to Haiti. Arabella Mansfield 1869 --- 1st woman lawyer. A year later, Ada H. Kepley, of Illinois, graduates from the Union College of Law in Chicago. She is the first woman lawyer to graduate from a law school.

Jefferson Long 1870 --- 1st black elected to U.S. House of Representatives, Georgia. Hiram Revels 1870 --- 1st black US Senator. He completed the term of Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis, who had resigned to become president of the Confederacy. Lucy Walker 1871 --- 1st woman to successfully climb the Matterhorn in Switzerland. Victoria Woodhall 1872 --- 1st woman to run for President of the US. Jesse James 1873 --- committed the world's first train robbery on July 21. (Adair, Iowa) Herbert Hoover 1874 --- 1st US President born west of the Mississippi. Mary Baker Eddy 1879 --- 1st and only American woman to found a lasting American-based religion- The Church of Christ (Scientist). Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood 1879 --- 1st female lawyer to plead a case before the US Supreme Court. Mary Mahoney 1879 --- 1st black woman to study and work as a professionally trained nurse.

Moses Fleetwood Walker 1884 --- 1st black baseball player in the major leagues. Grover Cleveland 1886 --- 1st President married inside the White House. Susanna M. Salter 1887 --- 1st woman US mayor. (Argonia, KS). She won by a two-thirds majority but didn't even know she was in the running until she went into the voting booth. Her name was submitted by the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She died at the age of 101 in 1961. Oscar Straus 1887 --- 1st Jewish ambassador from US. (Ambassador to Turkey.) Norman Coleman 1889 --- 1st US Secretary of Agriculture. Louise Blanchard Bethune 1890 --- 1st woman elected to full membership in the American Institute of Architects. William Kemmler 1890 --- 1st criminal to be executed by electrocution (in Auburn Prison, Auburn, N.Y., Aug. 6) Louis Henry Sullivan 1891 --- architect of 10 story Wainwright Building, the 1st skyscraper.

Grover Cleveland 1892 --- 1st (and only) US President to win election to nonconsecutive terms. He defeated Benjamin Harrison. Myra Bradwell, (nee Colby) 1892 --- 1st female lawyer in US. She qualified for Illinois bar in 1869, but was prevented, due to gender, from being admitted to practice until 1892. Annie Moore 1892 --- 1st immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. She was 15 years old and from County Cork, Ireland. Queen Isabella of Spain 1893 --- 1st woman to appear on a US postage stamp. Frankie Nelson 1896 --- winner of the 1st women's bicycling marathon, which took place on January 6-11, 1896 at Madison Square Garden in New York. She traveled 418 miles. John J. McDermott 1897 --- winner of the he 1st annual Boston Marathon - the first of its type in the US. Alexander Winton 1903 --- set the 1st land speed record in car racing.

Set at Daytona Beach, his speed was 68.18 mph May Sutton Brandy 1904 --- 1st American woman to win the ladies singles tennis championship at Wimbledon. Theodore Roosevelt 1906 --- 1st American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It was for helping mediate an end the Russo-Japanese War. Charles Curtis 1907 --- 1st American Indian to become a US Senator. (Kansas) He resigned in March of 1929 to become President Herbert Hoover's Vice President. Thomas E. Selfridge 1908 --- 1st airplane fatality. Selfridge, a Lt.in the US Army Signal Corps, was in a group evaluating the Wright plane at Fort Myer, Va. He was up 75 ft. with Orville Wright when the propeller hit a bracing wire and was broken, throwing the plane out of control, killing Selfridge and seriously injuring Wright (Sept. 17). Alice Wells 1910 --- 1st policewoman in the US. Ray Harroun 1911 --- 1st winner of the Indianapolis 500 car race.

His average speed was 74.59 mph, he finished in 6 hours, 42 minutes, 8 seconds. Harriet Quimby 1911 --- 1st US woman pilot. (A magazine writer, got ticket No. 37, making her the second licensed female pilot in the world. She was also the 1st woman to fly across the English Channel. She flew from Dover, England and landed at Hardelot, France, in a Bléériot monoplane(April 16). She was later killed in a flying accident over Dorchester Bay during a Harvard-Boston aviation meet on July 1, 1912. ) Arthur R. Eldred 1912 --- 1st boy to reach the rank of Eagle Scout -- the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America program. He was of Oceanside, NY. Louis D. Brandeis 1916 --- 1st Jewish member of the US Supreme Court. (Appointed by President Wilson). Jeannette Rankin 1916 --- 1st woman elected to US congress. (Montana) Only legislator to vote against both WW I and WW II.

Lucy Slowe 1920 --- 1st black woman tennis champion in the US. She won the women's singles title at a tournament in Baltimore. Ethelda "Thel" Bleibtrey - swimmer 1920 --- 1st US woman to win a gold medal in the Olympics. (Margaret Abbott was awarded a porcelain bowl, not a gold medal, in 1900.) Bessie Coleman 1921 --- 1st US black female pilot. Was killed April 30, 1926, in flying accident. Margaret Gorman 1921 --- 1st Miss America. She was 16 and 30-25-32. Henry Sullivan 1923 --- 1st American to swim across the English Channel. Clifton Reginald Wharton, Sr. 1924 --- 1st black to pass US Foreign Service exam. Nellie Taylor Ross 1925 --- 1st female state governor. (Wyoming) Gertrude Ederle 1926 --- 1st American woman to swim the English Channel.

It took her 14 hours and 39 minutes. (She broke the existing men's record.) Al Jolson 1927 --- lead role in the 1st talking motion picture, "The Jazz Singer." Charles Lindbergh 1927 --- 1st man to fly solo across the Atlantic. Norma Talmadge 1927 --- 1st footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theater (now Mann's Chinese Theater.) Janet Gaynor 1928 --- 1st Oscar winner for Best Actress. Emil Jannings 1928 --- 1st Oscar winner for Best Actor. Ellen Church 1930 --- 1st airline hostess. She served passengers flying between San Francisco, California and Cheyenne, Wyoming on United Airlines. Sinclair Lewis 1930 --- 1st American recipient of the Nobel Prize for literature. Jane Addams 1931 --- 1st American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Peace. Jackie Mitchell - baseball pitcher 1931 --- 1st woman in organized baseball. She was signed by the Chattanooga Baseball Club at the age of 19.

Hattie Caraway 1932 --- 1st woman elected to US Senate. Amelia Earhart 1932 --- 1st transatlantic solo flight by a woman. (traveling from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, to Ireland in approximately 15 hours) Frances Perkins 1933 --- 1st woman in US Presidential Cabinet. (Secretary of Labor under FDR.) Lettie Pate Whitehead 1934 --- 1st American woman to serve as a director of a major corporation, The Coca-Cola Company. Wallis Warfield Simpson 1936 --- 1st Time magazine "Woman of the Year." Jane Matilda Bolin 1939 --- 1st black woman judge. (New York City) Gene Cox 1939 --- 1st girl page in US House of Representatives. Franklin D. Roosevelt 1939 --- 1st US president to speak on television. (Spoke at the opening session of the New York World's Fair on April 30, 1939.) Hattie McDaniel 1940 --- 1st black actress to win an Oscar.

She won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind". Booker T. Washington 1940 --- 1st black to be pictured on a US postage stamp. His likeness was issued on a 10-cent stamp. Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini 1946 --- 1st canonized American saint. Chuck Yeager 1947 --- 1st person to break the sound barrier by flying faster than the speed of sound. (On October 14, 1947, he flew a Bell X-1 rocket at 670 mph in level flight.) Dick Button 1948 --- 1st American to become World Figure Skating Champion. Eugenia Anderson 1949 --- 1st US woman appointed ambassador to a foreign country. (Ambassador to Denmark) Gwendolyn Brooks 1949 --- 1st black woman to win a Pulitzer prize. Charles Cooper 1950 --- 1st black player in NBA (Fort Wayne Indiana Celtics). Florence Chadwick 1951 --- 1st woman to have swum across the English Channel in each direction.

George (Christine) Jorgenson 1952 --- recipient of the world's 1st sex-change operation. Danish artist Einar Wegener underwent a sex change operation in Berlin March 5, 1930. He assumed the identity of Lili Elbe, and had ovaries implanted. It is speculated that Wegener was actually a hermaphrodite, and the credit for first sex change usually is given to Christine Jorgenson. Patricia McCormick 1952 --- 1st professional woman bullfighter. She got herself two bulls in the contest held in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Lucille Ball 1953 --- appeared on the cover of the 1st TV Guide (April). Jacqueline Cochrane 1953 --- 1st woman to fly faster than speed of sound. (She piloted an F-86 Sabrejet over California at an average speed of 652.337 miles-per-hour.) Tenley Albright 1953 --- 1st American to win the Women's World Figure Skating Championship.

She was 17-years old when she won the competition in Davos, Switzerland. Marian Anderson 1955 --- 1st black singer at the Metropolitan Opera. She appeared as Ulrica in Verdi's "The Masked Ball." Althea Gibson 1957 --- 1st black tennis player to win a Wimbledon singles title. Julia Child 1958 --- 1st woman designated a full-fledged "Chef." William O'Ree 1958 --- 1st black hockey player in the NHL. (Boston Bruins) Ruth Carol Taylor 1958 --- 1st black woman to become a stewardess (now, flight attendant) by making her initial flight this day on Mohawk Airlines from Ithaca, NY to New York City. Clifton R Wharton 1958 --- 1st black US foreign minister. (Romania) Hiram L. Fong 1959 --- 1st Chinese-American in US Senate. (Hawaii) Daniel K. Inouye 1959 --- 1st Japanese-American in US House of Representatives.

(Hawaii) Harry Belafonte 1960 --- 1st black performer to win a Emmy award; he was awarded Best Performance in a Variety Show for his TV special "Tonight with Belafonte." Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. 1961 --- 1st American in space; (Freedom 7). 2nd human in space; member of original Mercury 7. Janet G. Travell 1961 --- 1st woman to hold the post of Personal Physician to the President. (Appointed by Kennedy) Roy Claxton Acuff 1962 --- 1st living person admitted to Country Music Hall of Fame. Joan Crawford 1962 --- 1st guest on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," October 1. John Glenn 1962 --- 1st US astronaut to orbit earth. Golda Meir 1964 --- 1st Jewish female prime minister, and 1st female prime minister of Israel, born in America. Jerrie Mock 1964 --- 1st around-the-world solo flight by a woman.

Sidney Poitier 1964 --- 1st black actor to win an Oscar in a major category. He earned the honor for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his role in the film, "Lilies of the Field". Patricia R Harris 1965---1st black female US ambassador. (Luxembourg) Edward Higgins White, Jr. 1965 --- 1st American to walk in space. Robert C. Weaver 1966 --- 1st black in US Presidential Cabinet (LBJ appointed him Secretary of HUD.) Thurgood Marshall 1967 --- 1st black to become a Supreme Court justice. Muriel Siebert 1967 --- 1st woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. She was also the nation's first- ever discount broker, and the first woman to serve as Superintendent of Banks for the State of New York. Carl Stokes 1967 --- 1st black elected as the mayor of a major city. (Cleveland, Ohio) Louis Washkansky 1967 --- 1st human heart transplant recipient. He lived 18 days with the new heart.

Shirley Chisholm 1968 --- 1st black woman elected to the US House of Representatives. Neil Armstrong 1969 --- 1st man to walk on the moon. Barbara Jo Rubin 1969 --- 1st woman jockey to win a race in North America. She was riding Cohesian, at Charlestown Race Course in West Virginia. Elizabeth P. Hoisington 1970 --- 1st female general in the US armed forces. She was appointed to the post of director of the Women's Army Corps. Bella Savitsky Abzug 1971 --- 1st Jewish woman in Congress. Satchel Paige 1971 --- 1st Negro-League player elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. Berenice Gera 1972 --- 1st female umpire in pro baseball. Mark Spitz - US swimmer 1972 --- 1st athlete to win 7 Olympic gold medals. Jean Westwood 1972 --- 1st woman to head the US Democratic Party. Henry Kissinger 1973 --- 1st Jewish US Secretary of State.

He was also the 1st naturalized citizen to hold this office. Emily Warner 1973 --- 1st female commercial airline pilot in the US. (Frontier Airlines) Mia Farrow 1974 --- appeared on the cover of the 1st People Magazine. Richard Milhous Nixon 1974 --- 1st and only US president to resign from office. Mary Louise Smith 1974 --- 1st woman to head the US Republican Party. Ellen Burstyn 1975 --- 1st person to win an Oscar and a Tony in the same year. These awards were for her performances in the film "Alice Doesn''t Live Here Anymore" (1974) and the play "Same Time, Next Year." George Carlin 1975 --- 1st guest host on "Saturday Night Live" which premiered on October 11. Natalie Cole 1975 --- 1st black to win the Best New Artist Grammy Award. Ella Grasso 1975 --- 1st woman to become a governor of a state (Connecticut) without a husband preceding her in the governor's chair.

Sarah Caldwell 1976 --- 1st woman to conduct the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Billy Crystal 1977 --- played 1st openly gay main character, Jodie Dallas, on network television on ABC's "Soap," which aired from 1977 to 1981. Bette Davis 1977 --- 1st female motion picture performer to be honored with the Life Achievement Award of the American Film Institute (AFI), the highest honor given for a career in film. (Since the AFI established this award in 1973, only three other women have been honored since Davis: Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, and Lillian Gish. ) Janet Guthrie 1977 --- 1st woman to qualify and race at the Indianapolis 500. Jacqueline Means 1977 --- 1st woman to be an ordained Episcopal priest. Harvey Milk 1977 --- 1st · acknowledged homosexual elected to high local office (San Francisco Board of Supervisors). Mary Hargrafen (Sister Mary Carl) 1978 --- 1st nun to become a captain in the US Air Force.

(Sisters of St. Francis.) Diana Nyad 1979 --- 1st person to swim from the Bahamas to Florida. Sandra Day O'Connor 1981 -- 1st female US Supreme Court justice. Guion Stewart Bluford, Jr. (Guy) 1983 --- 1st black American in space. Elizabeth Dole (Mary Elizabeth Hanford) 1983 --- 1st female US Secretary of Transportation. Elizabeth Hanford Dole was appointed as the Secretary of Transporation under which the U.S. Coast Guard was located (now under Dept. of Homeland Security), In accordance with Title 10 of the US Code the Coast Guard is one of the five Armed forces of the United States, making Mrs. Dole, the 1st woman Secretary of a branch of the US Military. (see also 1993) Sally Kristen Ride 1983 --- 1st US woman in space. Vanessa Williams 1983 --- 1st black Miss America. Williams relinquished her crown during her reign when nude pictures of her were published in "Penthouse" magazine.

Joan Benoit 1984 --- winner of the 1st women's Olympic marathon at the Summer Games, held in Los Angeles. Geraldine Ferraro 1984 --- 1st woman vice-presidential nominee of a major US political party. Kathryn Sullivan 1984 --- 1st female US astronaut to walk in space. Penny Harrington 1985 --- 1st woman police chief of a major city. Head of the Portland, Oregon force of 940 officers and staff. Libby Riddles 1985 --- 1st woman to win the Iditarod, Alaska's 1,135-mile Anchorage-to-Nome dog sled race. She completed the course in 18 days, twenty minutes and seventeen seconds. Wilma Mankiller 1985 --- 1st woman to lead a major American Indian tribe. She was elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. Mary Lund 1986 --- 1st female recipient of an artificial heart. Christa Sharon McAuliffe 1986 --- 1st teacher selected for the NASA Teacher in Space program.

She died, along with the rest of the crew, when the space shuttle Challenger blew up not long after launching. Oprah Winfrey 1986 --- 1st African-American woman to own her own television production company. Aretha Franklin 1987 --- 1st female artist inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Mary R. Stout 1987 --- 1st female president of a national veteran group, named by the Vietnam Veterans of America on August 2, 1987. Clifton Reginald Wharton, Jr. 1987 --- 1st black to become Chairman and CEO of a Fortune 500 company (TIAA-CREF). Kurt Browning 1988 --- 1st figure skater to land a quadruple jump in competition. Gertrude Belle Elion - pharmacologist 1988 --- 1st woman admitted to National Inventors Hall of Fame. Michael Jordan 1988 --- 1st basketball player pictured on a box of Wheaties cereal.

Penny Marshall 1988 --- 1st woman film director to have a film take in more than $100 million at the box office –– "Big." Antonia Novello 1990 --- 1st woman and first Hispanic to be named Surgeon General of the US. Douglas L. Wilder 1990 --- 1st elected black US governor. (Virginia) Nadine Strossen 1991 --- 1st female president of the ACLU. Billy Crystal 1992 --- 1st guest on "The Tonight Show," when Jay Leno permanently replaced Johnny Carson as host. Mae Carol Jemison 1992 --- 1st black woman in space (on the Endeavor.) Maya Angelou 1993 --- 1st female poet to read a poem at a US presidential inauguration. She read "On the Pulse of Morning," at Clinton's inauguration.

Akebono (Chadwick Haheo Rowan) 1993 --- 1st non-Japanese yokozuna (sumo wrestler.) Carol Elizabeth Moseley-Braun 1993 --- 1st black woman in US Senate. Janet Reno 1993 --- 1st female US Attorney General. Shiela Widnall 1993 --- 1st secretary of a branch of the US military (appointed to head the Air Force) Eileen Marie Collins 1995 --- 1st female space shuttle pilot. She piloted the space shuttle Discovery during a mission to rendezvous with space station Mir. Madeleine Albright 1996 --- 1st female US Secretary Of State. Claudia Kennedy, US Army Major General 1997 --- 1st female US three-star general.. Craig Breedlove 1998 --- 1st person to break the sound barrier in a car, at Lake Bonneville, UT, with a trap speed of over 760 MPH.

Jane Henney 1998 --- 1st woman appointed Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA.) Johnathan Lee Iverson 1998 --- 1st black ringmaster in the 129-year history of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. (At age 22, also the youngest.) Carlos Santana 1998 --- 1st Hispanic to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lt. Kendra Williams, USN 1998 --- 1st US female combat pilot to bomb an enemy target. On Dec. 16, bombed enemy targets over Iraq during Operation Desert Fox. Eileen Collins 1999 --- 1st woman astronaut to command a space shuttle mission. Cynthia M. Trudell 1999 --- 1st woman to head a US car company, Saturn Corp Colin Powell

Question: In 1927 who played the lead role in the 1st talking motion picture, "The Jazz Singer"?
Answer: Al Jolson